Full marks for mentioning Wendell Berry who I’ve been reading for 40 years and am just reading his latest collection Stand By Me – you have to read him slowly, like Marilynne Robinson.
Would it be wise to advise people who want to escape the rat race to sort of try out their gardening aptitude by first having a go in the suburbs. (Downside: commuting time, but hey, there are podcasts).
My suburban garden is small but it takes a lot of time! The front is for show, but the rear garden – maybe 250 sqm of usable space – is for food. I concentrate on plants I eat everyday like lettuce, easy to grow things like beetroot & celery, things I love to pick fresh like figs, strawberries and blueberries. You learn not to grow things that you never really use. You learn about soil. I have useless Australian sand, so it has taken decades of adding manures, compost, pea straw, peat, rock dust …. then there’s the watering and weeding and composting and raising seedlings. Maybe it would be a good idea to try all this out before you make a big decision to leave civilisation. You might not get everything you want, in suburbia, but it could be enough.
Very sensible advice. I’m a keen gardener and also do most of the work on a friend’s allotment. As Mary says, it is hard work and there is minimal time off. Slightly off point, but I am trying to grow some begonias from seed. The seed is like dust and the seedlings are tiny when they emerge and very slow to develop. I am constantly misting them and very worried that the soil will dry out and the seedlings will die. I’m not sure there is much that is actually ‘easy to grow’. Most of it needs close attention and care. Even potatoes.
roger white
4 years ago
So. In 1994 when in my early 30’s my wife & I bought 19 acres in Devon with some vines on, & outline planning for a 1-bed bungalow. It cost us £80,000… 13 years of double working, shift working for the BBC in London, the rest of the week in Devon working on the holding….& I could finally chuck in the broadcasting nonsense with some confidence in an income from a farm shop, cafe & wine sales. 1 week’s holiday in the past 20 years – in Cornwall. You don’t need pots of money – just the will to do what it takes ( no-one would buy the holding in 1994 due to the 90’s recssion), willingness to do every job under the sun, from agricultural worker, to accountant, to salesman, to builder, to financial advisor, to plumbing etc. & a good business plan – reason to think it would work financially. & willingness to move out of your comfort zone – geographically as well.
Now more people will have the option to work from home, then it is possible for people to live remotely and earn their main income elsewhere. I imagine demand for country living will continue to increase. Cities may also be avoided if people feel they might catch something….
Juilan Bonmottier
4 years ago
Very enjoyable and informative read -thank you.
It made me think of Horace writing;
“This is what I had prayed for: a small piece of land
With a garden, a fresh flowing spring of water at
hand
Near the house…
It’s perfect. I ask for nothing else, except to implore,
O son of Maia, that you make these blessings my own
For the rest of my life… “
Lee Johnson
4 years ago
Wer’e lucky enough to have a large country plot. The idea of growing your vegetables is much nicer than the reality, which is that slugs, deer, pheasants and greenfly eat most of them and those that are left are far more expensive than a supermarket. Taste good though. Fruit trees need almost no effort but you get a sudden flood in a couple of weeks so learn chutney-making too. Tomatoes can be grown easily in a large tub growing up the side of the house on net so you don’t need acres Good value and tasty, carry on for a couple of months too.
Full marks for mentioning Wendell Berry who I’ve been reading for 40 years and am just reading his latest collection Stand By Me – you have to read him slowly, like Marilynne Robinson.
Would it be wise to advise people who want to escape the rat race to sort of try out their gardening aptitude by first having a go in the suburbs. (Downside: commuting time, but hey, there are podcasts).
My suburban garden is small but it takes a lot of time! The front is for show, but the rear garden – maybe 250 sqm of usable space – is for food. I concentrate on plants I eat everyday like lettuce, easy to grow things like beetroot & celery, things I love to pick fresh like figs, strawberries and blueberries. You learn not to grow things that you never really use. You learn about soil. I have useless Australian sand, so it has taken decades of adding manures, compost, pea straw, peat, rock dust …. then there’s the watering and weeding and composting and raising seedlings. Maybe it would be a good idea to try all this out before you make a big decision to leave civilisation. You might not get everything you want, in suburbia, but it could be enough.
Very sensible advice. I’m a keen gardener and also do most of the work on a friend’s allotment. As Mary says, it is hard work and there is minimal time off. Slightly off point, but I am trying to grow some begonias from seed. The seed is like dust and the seedlings are tiny when they emerge and very slow to develop. I am constantly misting them and very worried that the soil will dry out and the seedlings will die. I’m not sure there is much that is actually ‘easy to grow’. Most of it needs close attention and care. Even potatoes.
So. In 1994 when in my early 30’s my wife & I bought 19 acres in Devon with some vines on, & outline planning for a 1-bed bungalow.
It cost us £80,000…
13 years of double working, shift working for the BBC in London, the rest of the week in Devon working on the holding….& I could finally chuck in the broadcasting nonsense with some confidence in an income from a farm shop, cafe & wine sales.
1 week’s holiday in the past 20 years – in Cornwall.
You don’t need pots of money – just the will to do what it takes ( no-one would buy the holding in 1994 due to the 90’s recssion), willingness to do every job under the sun, from agricultural worker, to accountant, to salesman, to builder, to financial advisor, to plumbing etc.
& a good business plan – reason to think it would work financially.
& willingness to move out of your comfort zone – geographically as well.
Why did you begin your comment with the word ‘so’? Please don’t ever do this again. Ever.
Quite right. I won’t.
Now more people will have the option to work from home, then it is possible for people to live remotely and earn their main income elsewhere. I imagine demand for country living will continue to increase. Cities may also be avoided if people feel they might catch something….
Very enjoyable and informative read -thank you.
It made me think of Horace writing;
“This is what I had prayed for: a small piece of land
With a garden, a fresh flowing spring of water at
hand
Near the house…
It’s perfect. I ask for nothing else, except to implore,
O son of Maia, that you make these blessings
my own
For the rest of my life… “
Wer’e lucky enough to have a large country plot.
The idea of growing your vegetables is much nicer than the reality, which is that slugs, deer, pheasants and greenfly eat most of them and those that are left are far more expensive than a supermarket. Taste good though.
Fruit trees need almost no effort but you get a sudden flood in a couple of weeks so learn chutney-making too.
Tomatoes can be grown easily in a large tub growing up the side of the house on net so you don’t need acres Good value and tasty, carry on for a couple of months too.